As a way to simplify and speed up customer transfers, Banco Santander has just joined the payment service of WhatsApp. For now, the bank states in a release that the service is only available to people who have Mastercard cards. Those who have Visa cards will have to wait a little.
Therefore, to enable this functionality, the user must first register the card number (debit or credit) through the messaging app itself, going to “Settings” and then “Payment”, following the next steps requested by WhatsApp.
Security and fee-free transfers
According to Santander, transfers made via WhatsApp are secure, and work with the Facebook Pay PIN or biometrics (on compatible devices). Santander customers will be able to receive up to 20 transfers (limit of R$5.000 per month) and send up to R$1.000 per transaction, with no fees.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to Banco Santander, some banks also offer the option of payments and transfers via WhatsApp, such as Itaú, Nubank, Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Mercado Pago and others.
WhatsApp and Santander Partnership
Santander's Executive Superintendent of Cards, Rogério Panca, says: “The transaction is done in the conversation environment itself, as simply as sending a photo, involving contacts with whom the customer already interacts regularly.” “Now, Santander account holders have this added facility to transfer money to their friends and also have the security that our online debit card offers,” concluded Rogério.
On behalf of WhatsApp, Dario Durigan (Head of Public Policy) also spoke about the new integration with Santander: “WhatsApp is pleased to welcome Santander to our payments service, which is now available to all users of the app in Brazil. WhatsApp believes that making it easier to send money in a simple and secure way will have a very positive economic impact, in addition to opening doors for more people to participate in the digital payments ecosystem.”
